Solve my riddle

Psalm 49..."I will solve my riddle...Why should I fear in times of trouble?" The Psalmist reflects on why he is afraid when he sees others in the "abundance of their riches." It's my riddle, too. Why do I become anxious and worried when financial pressures hit? Or envious when I see others living easily in their wealth? The obvious "duh" answer is, "I'm afraid I won't be able to supply for my family. I'm afraid I won't have enough to eat or a place to live or clothes to wear." Jesus agrees those are legitimate needs: "Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all." (Matthew 6:32) But Jesus disagrees about being fearful and anxious about those needs: "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on." (Matthew 6:25) God feeds the birds as a daily sign and promise that he will feed you. God will "much more clothe you" than he does the grass of the field with flowers. God tells us to trust that he'll supply for us, not all we want, but all we need.

So, is the riddle of my fear really about the essentials of life? Or is it a subtle lie that I'm afraid I need more than the essentials to feel secure? A buffer for my trust in case God gets distracted from the business of meeting my needs? The Psalmist says that kind of fear is grounded in the lie that security--beyond having just the essentials of physical life--can be found in the power of wealth. That if I have enough money, then I can face any crisis or challenge to my life with confidence. It is shown to be a lie because rich people die everyday and cannot stop it from happening, no matter how great their resources and power. How many more funerals must I experience to see this lie for what it is?

The key to solving the riddle of fear is to take a wider view of our lives, beyond the 75 year average our physical bodies might tend to last. "Even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others." (Psalm 49:10) Overcoming fear means we have to ask daily, "Where is my confidence?" It is a guaranteed fact that each of us will be separated from our stuff, and it is "foolish confidence" (Psalm 49:13) to think any of it will be of help to me on my deathbed. When we die, our physical "form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell." (Psalm 49:14) But for those who have faith and trust in Jesus' righteousness and life in place of their own sinful life, "God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me." (Psalm 49:15)

The answer to the riddle of fear is to invest in a personal and real relationship with the God who ransoms and redeems and promises he will meet my needs in this life, and "receive me" after the mist of my physical life has vanished. Lord, help me remember this every day, especially when I am tempted to believe again the lie of money and wealth that leads me to fear and anxiousness.